You and Me, Ray
by Letters to Ghosts
Summary: A place for Rayna & Deacon ficlets and various ideas.
1. Everything All Over Again

_A/N: Twenty-one almost-drabbles, one for each episode of season 1._

* * *

 **1x01**

"You're not some overnight sensation. Though you are sensational overnight, to the best of my recollection."

She can feel his gaze on her. He is gauging her reaction, testing her resolve. He's been doing this more and more these days and she has been all too willing to let him. The innuendo is getting less and less subtle, the accidental touches are seeming more and more deliberate.

She smiles, looking over the bridge's rail at the water running under them.

They are dancing closer and closer to the edge and the fall, lately, has never seemed so tempting.

* * *

 **1x02**

"Oh, my goodness. It's great to be at the Bluebird."

Deacon leans forward to whisper into her ear. Of course he would choose _that_ song. He explains how this is a song they first performed right here at the Bluebird 20 years ago, and she makes some joke about being in preschool back then. As soon as they're on stage together, the banter comes as a second nature.

"Well, we're gonna play it for you right now."

One.

Two.

Three.

Everything around them disappears and it's just her and Deacon again, pouring their hearts out to each other.

* * *

 **1x03**

"So, that's actually pretty easy."

 _Easy_ is probably the last word she would have used here. He keeps talking then, something about _going deep_ , _the early ones stripped down_ and _That Could Be Us_ but she has trouble focusing. Her fingers toy with her wedding ring. She suggests doing the big songs, he reminds her that quiet and intimate is what's gonna work.

"You mean like at the Bluebird?"

They've spent so many years practicing their subtext, she wonders if they know another way to communicate anymore.

"Freaking out a little bit?"

She might need a minute here. She might need a little more.

* * *

 **1x04**

She thought that, after all this time, it would have been a little more awkward, maybe a little more tentative. But it's not. Their bodies remember each other.

"Hey."

He kisses her as he rolls on top of her and, oh, how much she's missed this. His weight, his warmth, his scent. His everything.

"Hey."

Her blue painted fingernails dig into his shoulder blades, his hand traces along the curve of her hip and—

"Rayna."

She opens her eyes, confused, squinting at the hostile morning light.

"Hey, sleepyhead. You're planning on getting up today?"

 _Fuck._

* * *

 **1x05**

Judging by the annoying sound coming from his pocket, he can tell he has now reached an area where his phone gets signal again. He's tempted all of sudden to make a U-turn and drive back to the woods.

He knows damn well why she cancelled the tour. He knows damn well why she fired him. He knows damn well why she needs to do that commercial. But music is all he's got. It's the only part of his life that he ever seems to be able to do halfway good. _She_ should know damn well why he will never sign that release.

* * *

 **1x06**

"Kill me now, please." She groans as she rolls over. Everything about last night is a little bit hazy. "I think it was that second whiskey shot that made the third and the fourth one seem like such a good idea."

She can't remember her last hangover but she's certain it was _before_ , at a time when alcohol still meant fun and parties and goofy songwriting sessions, before it started to mean fights and crying and dragging Deacon out of hotel rooms because he was so wasted she didn't know if he was drunk or dead.

* * *

 **1x07**

He's on the couch, strumming on his guitar, when she walks in with Liam.

He almost passed on this band leader gig. He was determined on keeping some distance between them for a while, but a mix of curiousity about this new guy she's working with and the prospect of missing an occasion to play on the Ryman stage made him change his mind.

He gets up then and they exchange a few words, as if she didn't just fire him a few weeks ago.

"Sometimes I like to mix it up," she explains when he asks about Liam.

Yes, she does.

* * *

 **1x08**

She closes her eyes and lets the fall sun soak in. Deacon is sitting next to her on the wooden park table, their preferred spot for clandestine meetings. They've been quiet for a while, a kind of silence that only feels comfortable to people who've known each other for as long as they have.

She cancelled the tour, she fired him, they fought, and yet he called and she wasn't the least surprised he did. "I just want to make sure you're okay," he told her over the phone. They always come back to each other. Always.

* * *

 **1x09**

"Can I ask you something?"

"You're gonna."

He hates interviews. Every time he's tempted to regret not pursuing a solo career, this alone is enough to remind him he made the right choice.

"Why didn't you ever settle down and get fat and happy?"

"Maybe I just never found the right one."

This is a blatant lie of course, and even Carmen knows it. "At the right time."

"Yeah." He pauses. "Even if I had, me and happy we don't get along too good."

Another lie. There was one thing that was gonna make him happy but he lost that a long time ago.

* * *

 **1x10**

"What's wrong with the boots?"

"I put 'em on, clicked my heels three times, and I didn't turn into Deacon."

"What?"

Liam has this irritating habit of acting like he knows her better than she does, and she probably would find it less annoying if he wasn't right most of the time.

"Trying to turn me or anybody else into him is not gonna solve your problem."

"Well, what problem is that?"

"You're scared of being on that stage and having it feel different than it did for the past 20 years."

"I'm not scared."

She is not scared. She is terrified.

* * *

 **1x11**

"Hey, have you thought about maybe reaching out to Deacon? That article was kind of rough."

"It's such crap, these people will write anything."

Bucky and Rayna exchange goodbyes before he walks down the plane's aisle to the door, leaving her and Liam the last two people inside Juliette's private jet.

Liam puts his best effort into trying to convince her to go for a drink. "Night's young. You know you want to."

But she quietly declines and he nods in defeat. She waits until he's out of sight and out of hearing range before she reaches for her phone.

"Hey, Deacon, it's me."

* * *

 **1x12**

The doors open and—

Of course.

So much for him trying to stay out of her way. She can see him ponder not getting into the elevator for a second, but he decides against it. With one big stride, he's standing next to her.

"Hey."

He doesn't flinch. She rolls her eyes. She tries small talk then but it doesn't lead to better results. Ignoring her entirely, that's new. She never thought she'd see the day he'd be singing _Boys & Buses_ with Juliette Barnes either, so... Life never ceases to amaze.

The doors open again, he leaves without a word.

"Glad we had this chat."

* * *

 **1x13**

"You have a good night?"

Well, her life is such a mess at the moment that instead of spending the night in Liam's bed, she spent it sobbing on the tiled floor of his hotel's bathroom. She's not eager to share that with Deacon. "It was all right."

"Y'all sure made up quick, huh? You and Liam."

He's got about 500 miles worth of nerve. She's seen enough women getting out his hotel rooms over the years to know he's the last person allowed to make a judgement here.

"What do you want from me right now?"

"Nothing, Ray. Not a damn thing."

* * *

 **1x14**

"Now this is a surprise party," he jokes, even though it isn't. A surprise, that is. Whether it was with a whole day of festivities or a simple phone call, she hasn't failed to remember a single one of his last 25 birthdays.

She smiles as she walks towards him, a glass of champagne in her hand. She pauses.

"Happy birthday."

They embrace, then, her free hand clinging to his neck and her face buried into his shoulder. The hug lasts a little too long, they hold each other a little too tight.

They both grin as they pull away.

* * *

 **1x15**

"You ain't just hooked on booze and pills. You're strung out on Rayna Jaymes."

He looks at Coleman and snorts. This is the dumbest thing he's ever heard. _Hello, my name is Deacon Claybourne and I'm addicted to Rayna Jaymes._ He would deserve a 13 years sobriety chip for that too then.

Coleman needs to stop talking about Rayna like she's some kind of addiction to him. She's his best friend. She's his one true love. He has loved her since the day they met and whatever happens or doesn't happen between them, he'll love her till the day he dies.

* * *

 **1x16**

"Ho!"

The voice startles her and she turns to see Deacon in a pine green shirt, standing a few feet from her. He's smiling at her, a broad, genuine smile. They look at each other for a few seconds as their daughter is singing on the arena stage in front of them.

 _So show me family  
All the blood that I would bleed  
I don't know where I belong  
I don't know where I went wrong  
But I can write a song  
I belong with you, you belong with me  
You're my sweetheart_

She grins back.

"Hey!"

* * *

 **1x17**

She is surrounded by liars. Her dad. Tandy. Teddy. And now, Watty. _Watty_. She can't think about all this anymore. She's too tired, too emotionally exhausted by today's chain of events.

She needs to talk to Deacon. He is the only who will understand, the only one who knows her enough to. She left him a message a couple hours ago but she hasn't heard back from him since.

She sinks into her chair, her head leans against the backrest and her eyes close against her will. When she opens them again, Deacon is kneeling next to her.

* * *

 **1x18**

"Do you still have feelings for her?" Stacy asks, her voice close to a whisper and her eyes to the ground. She already knows the answer.

"I'm trying to get it out of my blood," he offers as the flimsiest of defenses. Who is he going to convince here? He's been _trying_ for the last 13 years. Stacy doesn't deserve this.

She storms out of the room then and he runs after her. She disappears into the hall as a voice calls for him.

"Everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah." He stops in his tracks and turns around. "No. No."

"Come here. What's the matter?"

"You."

* * *

 **1x19**

He gets into his car and slams the door.

He's such an idiot. What does he think he's doing. They've been back together for barely 48 hours, and he is already slipping back into his old habit of running away.

It doesn't matter. He doesn't know what she is hiding or what it is she is afraid to tell him, but it doesn't matter. It just doesn't. They've got so much damn water under their bridge, sometimes it's like they are drowning in it. To hell with all that. What matters is them. Right here. Right now.

* * *

 **1x20**

"See you later, Buck."

Bucky has learned to disappear at her dressing room's door these days as there's always a certain someone waiting for her inside. This time though, the room is curiously empty.

She's changing from her black pants and rhinestones top into a robe when she hears knocking.

"I almost got worried." She grins as she opens the door.

"I tried my luck in another dressing room tonight."

"Hilarious."

He chuckles when she drags him inside and he almost stumbles. She slides her arms around his neck, kisses him as he lifts her up.

"How long we gonna have to do this in private?"

* * *

 **1x21**

"Maddie came to see me."

"What?"

"She wants to know if I'm her father."

This is it. This is happening. She has spent 13 years thinking about this moment. She has imagined all kinds of scenarios for it. In some of them, she was the one telling him. In others, the fairytale ones, he one day looked at their daughter and he just _knew_.

In this one, he holds her gaze and pleads in a voice filled with pain, "Tell me that you haven't been lying to me every moment of the last 13 years."

How she wished she could.


	2. Rayna, I'm (Not) Done Talking

_A/N: Dialogue-only snippets. :)_

* * *

 **1.**

"Rayna."

"What?"

"You're falling asleep."

"I'm not."

"You're going to miss everything."

"No, I'm awake. I'm awake."

"I know people tend to think it's a sad movie but it's not. It's the uplifting tale of the unconditional love between a boy and his dog."

"Do you watch it _every_ year?"

"It's sort of a ritual."

"Won't your girlfriend mind that you're spending your birthday watching it with me instead of her?"

"What girlfriend?"

"Sam... Bee... something. Vince said you were together."

"Not anymore."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"No, you're not."

"No, I'm not."

"Ray?"

"Yeah?"

"You can sleep if you want."

"No, but I'm just going to lay my head here if that's fine."

"More than fine."

"Deacon?"

"Yeah?"

"I like you calling me _Ray_."

* * *

 **2.**

"We're lost."

"We're _not_ lost, Ray."

"Where are we then?"

"We are... somewhere between where we left and where we are supposed to go."

"That would make a great line for a song but WE ARE LOST."

"When you said you didn't like hiking, you weren't kidding."

"I don't want to sleep in the woods."

"We've got food, water and a guitar, we'd be fine. I'd make us a fire. Just us and nature, that could be romantic."

"Us and a full range of wild animals."

"I don't think there are bears in these—"

"Deacon!"

"Where did your usual sense of adventure go?"

"I left it at the rental cabin, in our warm, safe bed out of which you dragged me against my will this morning."

"In retrospect, not my most brilliant idea."

"Deacon?"

"Yeah?"

"Please, get us out of here."

* * *

 **3.**

"Damn."

"What's going on, babe?"

"A guy from some airline's baggage service delivered this."

"You had lost a guitar?"

"No! That's what I spent the last 10 minutes trying to explain to the guy but he said he was certain the reference number, name and address were right and he refused to take it back."

"That's weird."

"What am I supposed to do now?"

"Well, open it. We might come across some clue as to whom it belongs to."

"I doubt it."

"Found something?"

"No, nothing and it's a... Ray, what did you do?"

"What?"

"It's a '52 Gibson SJ."

"The same model you've been talking about constantly these last few weeks? Wow, that's some _crazy_ coincidence."

"Uh-huh."

"I mean, you were very clear when you said no birthday gift this year."

"Uh-huh."

"But, I don't know, maybe _the universe_ thought it was a stupid idea."

"Come here."

"What are you doing?"

"Can _the universe_ shut up now so I can kiss her?"

"Yes, she can."

"Thank you, baby."

"You're very welcome, my love."

* * *

 **4.**

"Deacon Claybourne, are you gossiping?"

"I'm not _gossiping_ but I do have eyes, Ray."

"Gorgeous ones, for that matter. Can you keep them on the road?"

"Sorry."

"Would you like me to drive for a while?"

"I'm fine. And you didn't answer my question."

"No, babe, I don't think there's something going on between Sadie and Liam. But I can ask her."

"What? No. What are you doing?"

"Getting my phone so I can text her."

"Don't do that."

"Typing as we speak. _Hey, girl, Deacon would like to know if—_ "

"Ray, give me that phone."

"I'm _kidding_ , babe."

"Hmm."

"Your secret gossiper identity is safe with me."

"My what?"

"We need to find you a name. Oh, and a costume. Do you want a cape? We could use an embroidered guitar as your emblem. You would patrol the streets at night and expose people's dark secrets with songs."

"You're crazy."

"But you love me."

"Till the day I die."

"Eyes on the road."

"Yes, Ma'am."

* * *

 **5.**

"Ray?"

"In the living room! Follow the guitar picks."

"What?"

"Look down, follow the guitar picks."

"You made a trail of guitar picks?"

"I marked the shortest routes among the boxes to get from one room to another."

"Maybe we have _a little_ too much stuff."

"Maybe we should have planned to get rid of more things _before_ moving."

"The problem is your last house was a castle."

"You dropped the girls at Teddy's?"

"No, I dropped them in the woods but if they take after you, they've probably left a trail of guitar picks and they'll find their way back home."

"Hope you left them a guitar, they may write a few songs along the way."

"This couch is really comfy."

"I know, I've been meaning to get up for the last half-hour."

"Ray?"

"Yeah?"

"We're sitting on _our_ couch."

"I know."

"In _our_ house."

"I know."

"Want to help me find the trail to _our_ bedroom?"

"Follow the guitar picks, babe, I'll be right behind you."

* * *

 **6.**

"What. Is. That."

"What are you looking at?"

"Your wedding pictures."

"Where did you find that?"

"The girls were going through old albums. The off-the-shoulder and the big pouf?"

"The '90s were cruel, babe."

"You know that nothing will keep me from marrying you but _this_ might give me pause."

"Shut up."

"Ouch!"

"You deserved that."

"Want to know what I think?"

"Mmm?"

"I think your dress was protesting this wedding."

"I think it's very possible. Want to hear the good news?"

"Mmm?"

"We won't have to worry about any kind of protest from my dress this time."

"Yeah?"

"This dress has been waiting all her life for this wedding."

"I love this dress already."


	3. Glad We Had This Chat

_A/N: Some more dialogue-only snippets. Missing conversations from season 1._

* * *

 **1.**

"Deacon, it's 3 am, you're alright?"

"Yeah."

"Why are you whispering?"

"I'm in the bathroom."

"You're calling from the bathroom?"

"No, I mean—"

"Oh, there's someone you don't want to wake up."

"Ray, I—"

"Let's forget I asked. You're sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, it's just... You remember Carmen Gonzalez?"

"Mhm."

"She's on the tour, writing an article for Tremolo. We've been talking about the past, about Vince. And... I don't know. It's just this whole tour. Cy's a complete ass. I don't know."

"I only leave in a few days, I can fly wherever you want and we'll talk."

"No, Ray, I'm fine."

"Deacon—"

"I'm fine, really. Scarlett is coming to see the show in Austin next week. I'll be alright."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, I just... I needed to hear your voice."

"Let's talk some more then."

* * *

 **2.**

"You've ruined it for me, Deacon."

"Rayna?"

"Doesn't my name come up on your screen when I call you?"

"Yeah, but—"

"You've ruined it for me, Deacon."

"I got that the first time around."

"No one is ever going to be good enough."

"I—"

"I have a tour starting tomorrow, and a second guitar player just quit."

"You still haven't found a guitar player?"

"No, they were all off doing their own thing, they didn't seem to have any interest in what we're doing here."

"Why don't you ask Liam?"

"Liam?"

"Just for a few shows. He's on the road with you anyway, right?"

"To record, not to play."

"Asking won't hurt."

"I guess I can try."

"You do that."

"I'll do that."

"Oh, and Rayna?"

"Yeah?"

"You've ruined it for me too."

* * *

 **3.**

"Happy birthday."

"One minute after midnight. Right on time, as usual."

"Let's not change that."

"You're a creature of habits, Rayna Jaymes."

"Says the guy who watches the same movie every single year."

"Touché."

"You, Deacon, you're a paradox. You're one of the rare people I know who couldn't care less about age and yet, you don't want to celebrate your birthdays."

"I don't like parties."

"Mhm."

"You're alright, Ray?"

"Me?"

"All this crap with the press."

"Can't do much about it. Gonna let it go away. Well, I guess I'll hang up now and let you get back to sleep."

"Thanks, Ray."

"Same time next year."

* * *

 **4.**

"What do you know about puppies?"

"Deacon?"

"Doesn't my name come up on your screen when I call you?"

"Smart ass."

"He won't stop whining, he's running everywhere, and he won't sleep. I don't know what's wrong with him."

"Who?"

"The puppy I got for my birthday."

"Someone gave you a _puppy_? Who does that kind of thing?"

"Juliette Barnes."

"Of course. What made you think I would know anything about puppies?"

"You've got kids."

"You didn't just say that."

"I sang him every damn song I know."

"Juliette's songs too? Because then we've found what's wrong with him."

"Hilarious."

"You should call a vet."

"They don't open until 7."

"Then I guess you're in for another half-hour of _Boys & Buses_ and _Love Like Mine_."

* * *

 **5.**

"Hey."

"Hey, I'm just calling to check on Maddie, see if she got back from the hospital alright."

"She's fine. Thanks again, Deacon, I'm so glad you were there."

"I can't tell you how scared I got when I saw that shelf collapse. I can only imagine what you, parents, go through on a daily basis."

"Mhm."

"Ray, you're still there?"

"Yeah, sorry. You know, I gave her my old guitar, the one I got from Mom."

"You gave her Holly?"

"I forgot you'd named that guitar."

"Poor Holly is a survivor. I'll never know how she's still among us today."

"Shut up."

"In all seriousness, though, it's great."

"Maddie is gonna need an outlet for all she's going through, and I thought she could channel that through her music."

"I have a feeling Holly isn't done writing beautiful songs."

* * *

 **6.**

"Scarlett sent me check if you were a stalker."

"Sorry, I was on the phone with Buck when I parked and then the conversation lasted longer than expected. Scarlett is there?"

"I invited her over for dinner since I thought you and I had planned to see each other _later_ tonight?"

"That's what we had planned."

"Couldn't wait?"

"Maybe."

"Come on, get out of this car. You're hungry?"

"Did you cook or did you order?"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

* * *

 **7.**

"What about Liam?"

"What about him?"

"You're the one who started this little tell-all game, baby."

"If it's my game, don't I get to make the rules?"

"Nope."

"We got out, we danced, I got drunk, then we came back to his room and... I spent the rest of the night sobbing all over his bathroom floor."

"Seriously?"

"It wasn't pretty."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why were you sobbing all over his bathroom floor?"

"It was the night before I had to go back home and announce the divorce to the girls."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you."

"Also, I'm sorry I was... an asshole, the next day."

"It's okay."

"Isn't that when you're supposed to say _no, Deacon, you weren't that much of an asshole_?"

"Only the truth, babe, those are the rules."

* * *

 **8.**

"Did you ever get my text?"

"Which text?"

"That night, in Chicago."

"Which night?"

"Do you kiss so many women in elevators that you don't remember?"

"I got the text."

"And you decided not to come up?"

"Teddy was knocking on your door when I arrived."

"Oh."

"Why didn't you send me a second text to warn me Teddy was there?"

"I guess I didn't react quick enough."

"What if I'd knocked when he was there?"

"What if he'd never come?"

"I guess we'll never know."

"I think we do."


	4. Wheels Up, Jackass

_A/N: How 2x22 should have ended._

* * *

Rayna can't believe he did that. She can't believe he—

Scratch that.

She should have seen it coming. She is the one who feels uncomfortable making a show of her private life, not Luke. She should know what to expect from the man she's going to marry. _Marry_. She said yes. She can't believe she said yes. She can't believe she—

Scratch that.

How could she have said no? She wasn't going to turn him down in front of thousands of people. He didn't _ask_ her, he put her in a position where all she could do was say yes. It wasn't a proposal, it was an ambush. She should be mad.

She is mad.

What a jackass.

– – –

She has retreated to her dressing room and has locked the door behind her. She needs a moment alone to devise her next move. Twenty-four hours ago, she was holding Juliette's hair. Now, she's the one who feels like throwing up.

She jumps when a knock interrupts her thoughts. She hasn't calmed down yet; if it's Luke, it's not going to be pretty.

"Ray?" She lets Bucky in, and locks the door again. "Well, congratula—"

"Did you know he was going to do that?" she cuts him off, harsher than she intended. She composes herself, taking a deep breath. "Sorry, Buck."

"It's okay. And of course I didn't know. I guess _you_ didn't know either."

She walks to the makeup chair and slumps in. When she was sitting here, a few hours ago, thanking God for _this wonderful man_ , it's not what she had in mind. Be careful what you pray for.

"It's my fault, Buck. A couple weeks ago, I told him I was all-in in this relationship. He had just gotten out of the hospital, and he'd bared his heart to me, and I just... I didn't want to hurt him. But I didn't think he was going to do _that_."

The girls were in the audience. Deacon was in the audience. Thousands of people – who by now have probably posted hundreds of videos – were in the audience. She hides her face in her hands.

"So, it's safe to say that, in different circumstances, you wouldn't have said yes?"

"No, I wouldn't have."

"And is it a _not now_ or a _not ever_?"

Bucky, always the one to ask the tough questions.

It scares Rayna how quick she is to answer. "Not ever." Deep down, she's just always known it was not where this relationship was going. Marrying Luke would mean making the same mistakes all over again.

Bucky walks towards her, puts a hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be fine, Ray. But the first thing you need to do is talk to Luke."

"I know." There's a long pause. "Buck, the afterparty will now be a room full of journalists expecting to get a close-up of the ring and asking for all kinds of juicy details about the wedding."

It was supposed to be her big night. Her label's big night. The only thing the press will write about tomorrow is the proposal. This infuriates her.

"Talk to Luke, and we'll decide what we do then."

She groans. "I should have had the guts to say no on stage."

"As your manager, I'm glad you didn't."

It would have been a PR nightmare. Engagements, on the other hand, get broken. It happens. They don't have to announce it... right now.

She looks at him. "Never a dull moment, eh?"

– – –

She hadn't expected Luke to take things well, but she hadn't expected him to leave without a word. She is now left to deal with the aftermath of this mess all by herself.

She texts Teddy to ask him to drop Maddie and Daphne home, she will be there as soon as she can. He texts back to announce the girls won't leave without seeing her first. The three of them show up in her dressing room a few minutes later. Teddy offers polite congratulations, Daphne stays mostly quiet, and Maddie is sulking.

"You're going to marry him?" she asks, without preamble.

"No, honey, I'm not going to marry him."

The occasions are rare these days to render teenage Maddie speechless, so Rayna should probably savor the moment. They all look at her, waiting for an explanation. The atmosphere in the room seems to have lighten up, and if she had any doubt about her decision, this would achieve to convince her.

"I wasn't going to say no on stage," she explains. "We'll just wait a while to announce it. So... not a word until then."

Maddie pulls her into a hug. "I'm sorry, Mom." Her daughter isn't the slightest bit sorry, but Rayna appreciates the gesture.

"Dad will drive you home, and I'll be there as soon as I can." She sighs. "I have an afterparty from hell to attend first."

– – –

She has spent the last hour showing off a ring she'll never wear, make up fake excuses for a fiancé she'll never marry, and banter about a list of possible guests which she'll never send invitations to. She's pretty sure hell looks something like this.

She should be driving home now.

She _should_ be.

She's not sure when she made the conscious choice not to, if it has been in her mind all evening and she'd just refused to aknowledge it until now, but there's someone she needs to go see first. Someone she'll keep pretending has nothing to do with her recent decision.

Because it's not like everything she does always has, in one way or another, something to do with him. It's not like since that day on the cabin's porch when they talked – really _talked_ – about Maddie, she's been feeling it was only a matter of time until they would find their way back to each other.

It's not like she's loved him since the first time she ever laid eyes on him, first time she ever heard him play a note on the guitar, first time she ever heard him laugh. And even through all the hell they put each other through, she stills loves him now.

She parks the car in a hurry, and runs the stairs to his porch. Deacon isn't surprised to see her when he opens the door.

"Hey."

"Hey."


End file.
